Method and means for securing upholstery material



Jan. 6, 1942.

METHOD AND MEANS F'OR SECURING UPHOLSTERY MATERIAL Filed July 24, 1940 B. F. MONROE 2,268,765

This invention relates "provide method and Patented Jan. 6, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,268365 METHOD AND MEANS .Foa` SECURTNG UPHOLSTERY Benjamin F.

Tropic-Aire, poration of Delaware MATERIAL Monroe, Chicago, Ill., assigner to Incorporated, Chicago, Ill., a cor- .Applicstion July 24, 1940, serial No. 347,141 124013111115. tot 15s-184) to improvements in the upholstering-art 'and has for its main object to 'means vby which 'covering material can be easily applied by unskilled per- Heretofore it has been necessary to employ `skilled persons for applyingy finishing or yequivalent covering 'material for upholstering and,

similar purposes, and it has been necessary to use'"1'0 tacks, nails, or 'glue 'to secure the material.

Moreover, lwhen the v'material 'became dirty it le'ither had 'to 'be cleaned in situ, :or had to be removed, cleaned 'and "reapplied by skilled per-... sons. "I5

.The upholstery'material used forbus seats is -subjectto muchv wear and Ntear, and soon becomes "soiled or unsightly so Vthat frequent cleaning and/or replacement is necessary. The present, invention particularly provides means by which"20 the upholstery material of bus seats `can be quickly applied or removed from any .part of the seat .by unskilled persons, and .provides a tackless,

.nailless andglueless construction .and method. .325

...The .same piece of upholstery can be 'easily taken .off and reapplied any number of times as .is needed, for example,.for cleaning or repair, and

the Linvention is equally applicable .to wood or metal frames or bases.

Moreover, the device, provides for a clean, neat, .uniform upholstery line by permitting easy ysmoothing out and pulling taut of the varietyv of materials used in .this art, such asfleatherymo- -various fcloths and flexible fabrics. By the 3535 use of this invention material is Las easily 'at- .tached' to or detached from a metal base or frame yas to 'or from wood.

Features include: the frictional lock principle A between cloth and wood or metal; "40

the frictionar nlock asiexemplified in shoulder locking; thecomlbinationv of friction and shoulder locking; the 'wrapping of the material labout a frame member followed by vfrictional locking; and all 'details of "construction shown; valong'with all 'broader ideas of means disclosed in 'this application.

Features, objects and advantages of the invention are disclosed in the description of the drawing, and in said drawing- 'Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in vertical section showing the 'invention applied to the back of a seat;

.Figure 2 isa plan section on line v2--2 of fF- Figure 3 isa detail section 1illustrating a second application of the invention;

Figure 4 isa detail "sectionillustrating-a third application-of the invention. In the drawing the numeral i generally indicates the base of a seat which is mounted on a suitable pedestal 2. This may be a bus seat. Rising from the base Aof the seat at the rear thereof are hollow extensions 3, only one of v'which is shown. Secured in the lower ends of van arched back frame'generally indicated at 4. The frame is herein composed of a single suitably formed tubular length. The tubular formation is attained in part by the use ofa channel Aelement 5 (see Figure 2). This channel member-5 is herein converted into a tube by the use of 'a vcross member 46 having `flanges 1, 8 -extending in 'opposite ldirections as shown and secured to member 5. The'back 4 does not have to 'be of metal. vIt Vmay be of la solid piece of wood.

Element 8 cooperates with theterminal portion 9 ofthe longer inner side of the channel to provide a "forward'projectionor extension, that is, an extension forwardly of the front surface I0 ofthe cross-piece '6. There is no intention, of cours-e, to be entirely limited to the particular lconstructionof the back. The main feature is the provision of any suitable projection as part of a fric- -tion-holding system orstructure for the purpose herein. It will be understood that the frame or base 'may be of wood 'or any other suitable mal'terialand it will be `further understood that the invention can be applied to many structures other than to the back of a chair. Nevertheless, the invention .is specifically claimed in relation to a Achair back. The supports which are bridged by the'up'holstery `material have beeen generally designated I3. The invention is applicable genyerally for .the `attachment of material to various "structures without the use of any fastening devices except that involving the friction'and/or abutment principles herein shown.

.In the embodiment of 'the invention as shown .in Figures v.1` and 2 a hanging back cloth I2 bridges the projections formed by the elements 8 and 9,

, and this 'hanging 4back cloth is secured at three lmargins to the front face l0 of the element 6 by means of a suitable fastening .device M, `such as a suitable screw, passing through a channel member l5. The projections or extensions formed by the elements v8 and 9, and designated by the numeral 29, extend the full length of the `baclrmarginally entirely therearound. The marthe hollow extension are ginal location is preferred, although the invention is not entirely limited thereto.

On the forward side of the back cloth is placed a seat back filler material generally indicated at 2li. This material may be of any suitable kind such as paratex and may be reenforced at the ends by yieldable rubber 2I. Paratex is a combination of curled hair treated with latex and is well known in this art. In some instances the padding or filler may be omitted. The back cloth is secured at the bottom to the base I by being suitably attached to a cross bar I6. This bar is U-shaped in cross-section, and the end of the back cloth is clamped within it.

The invention herein is applied to the attachment of the finishing or facing material and in this instance the material may comprise a front section of mohair 22 suitably attached as at 23 to a leather strip indicated at 24. The leather is passed rearwardly and around the member I3 and is then brought forwardly. Thus the leather is caused to snugly embrace the member I3. The end of this leather is rolled to form a bea-d I6 and may then be suitably stitched. This bead may be formed in any suitable manner and is intended to provide a marginal enlargement or thickening of the material to provide an abutment. The end or marginal portion of the leather piece 24 is then forced in between the projection 29 formed by the elements 8 and 9, and the rear surface of the back cloth I2. It will be noted that a shoulder II is formed at the inner side of the projection 29, and that in this embodiment of the invention a space I8 is provided between the back cloth I2 and the surface I0 to receive the bead. The projection thus serves to form a shoulder and a friction surface.

In all cases the material is preferably wrapped about the member I3 or its equivalent before being forced or tucked in as above described. It`

has been found that the herein disclosed scheme of connection is a very secure connection and that compression of the padding and consequent loosening of the covering material or upholstery does not correspondingly loosen thefconnection, but that the material continues to be strongly frictionally held around the projections and between them and the taut elastic or inelastic, but

preferably flexible webbing I2. y

It will, of course, be understood that in using .the word elastic I do not necessarily mean made of rubber. The ordinary backing webbing used in the upholstering trade will serve. It is only necessary that the material have sufficient give to allow tucking to occur, and thereafter be under tension to keep the material against the projection. Inasmuch as friction is depended upon to secure the parts, a rough surfaced upholstery material will increase the frictional effect on the tucked in portion. For the backs of bus seats and in general this webbing should be of pleasing texture and appearance.

When I use the expression held solely by friction in part provided by said projection, I mean to include friction action either between the projection and-the material itself as in Figure 3, or between the projection and a second material as shown in Figure 2, the latter figure disclosing the preferred use in conjunction with the back or other suitable part of a piece of furniture. When I use the words back cloth I mean a material in addition to the cloth or fabric or textile finishing material, that is, any material suitable for the purpose.

Moreover, I do not intend to be limited to the use of a single layer of the material but intend to cover the tucking in of plural layers or thicknesses, and to cover the use wherein there is first the tucking in of one material and then the tucking in of a second material thereover. Thus, where it is desired to use washable covering material as for summer travel for bus seats, such material can be laid over the original upholstery material and can be easily attached and as easily removed for washing and can again be easily attached after washing. It is to be noted that both in the application of the original upholstery material and in the application of any additional or supplemental covering material, such applications can be made by unskilled persons, and this is a very important feature.

Although I have used the expression rectangular projection, I do not intend to be entirely limited to the particular cross-sectional shape shown, because it may be rectangular or of other configuration. The broader aspect of the invention is the tucking` in between a projection and sheet material to obtain a friction lock. An important phase of the invention is the use of la shoulder and a marginal enlargement in addition to the friction action. The "fabric is taut so that the terminal portion of the material vis frictionally held against accidental displacement and without the use of other fastening devices of any kind, such as nails,'screws or glue.

While the rectangular configuration of the projection is preferred and is of considerable advantage in providing corners for increasing the frictional retaining action on thevmaterial, it is not absolutely essential that the projection provide corners, because when the material is stretched tightly or tautly` across the projection and then the terminal part of the material is passed around the frame member and is forcibly tucked in between the projection and' the material as shown, a frictional lock is obtained.v It will, of course, be understood that friction is increased by rectanular configuration and that this is the preferredconstruction and that, moreover, such a construction provides a more vmarked shoulder to cooperate withthe enlarged or thickened margin ofthe material. As has been explained before, in cases where a welt is used, the welt lies inwardly of and in opposition to and against the shoulder, or the material is'packed in the space I8, or its equivalent.

The application of the invention shown in Figure 3 diiers only from thatshown-in Figure 2 in that no back cloth is used, but the covering or finishing material 28 itself bridges the projections 29, only one of which projections is' shown in this gure. In this instance theuse involves only a single length of finishingqmaterial 28 which is brought around the member I3 land is tucked between the projection 29 anda portion of the same length of material.v The numeral 29 has been used to indicate thatr theprojection may be of any suitable kind, and is not necessarily formed of the members 8 and 9 as inthe application of the invention shown inFigure 2. As before stated, thereis no intention to be limited to the mannerin which the projection is formed. It may be formed in. any suitable vmanner and have any suitable shape and may be formed on any suitable base material, Vnot necessarily a hollow base or one made of metal.

Figure 4 illustrates an application of the invention for connecting a protecting cover material such as a washable seat covering materialjfor summer use, and illustrates how the invention j-..c,an,be used for easily applying @material over the ordinary upholstery nishing .material. vIn this case the back cloth v,I2 may be used as in Figure 2, andthe same is Vsuitably @1,1% material I2. At any time the projection and land securing such rial 34 and this is brought around in the same.

ymanner -as the material 34 and tucked ink between the already tucked in material 34 and the --bac'k cloth material I2 as shown. The beads are V.shown and are preferred on bothmaterials and are respectively indicated by numerals IB and 36.

"Bead-"36 may be omitted for the wash material,

although the use of the bead herein represents a .preferred form of the invention. It will be understood, however, that broadly the invention .involves the holding -by abutment `and/or friction scheme, that is, the tucking in of the cover material under tension of the back cloth or equivalent element and a projection, or the tucking in of the I,cover material against itself and the projection,

as'shown in Figure 3.

When I say that material lies in opposition to embraces' the member and is forcibly frictionally held between the projection 5 said projection and flexible lstretched material and flexible material, I mean to cover generically the tucking and friction holding scheme, whether the tucked material engages itself as in Figure 3, or engages a second material asr in Figures 2 and 4.

The finishing material 22 is secured by tucking it in on three margins of the back frame 4. To the lower end 31 of the nishing material 22 is attached a piece of rubber or other suitable friction material 38, and these portions 31 and 38 are brought behind the paratex layer 20 and held as shown in Figure 1.

This construction has only been shown in Figures 1 and 2. Although there is no intention, of course, to limit the invention entirely thereto, this holding scheme is also claim-ed alone and in combination with the tucking in scheme previously described. In this instance the end 31 is held at the bottom partly by means of its own friction and partly by the frictional action of material 38, with the back cloth I2 and paratex 20, or equivalent friction materials. In this case again there is a frictional holding function, this time between two fabrics 20 and I2 whose surfaces frictionally cooperate with the finishing material 22 and its extension 38 for anchoring the bottom of the cloth 22.

It will be understood that although this invention has been shown applied to the back of a seat, itis applicable as well to a seat cushion of a seat and is applicable to any device to which upholstering nish can be applied, whether1 padding is used or not. The broad conception ofthe invention is the frictional and/ or abutment lock of the upholstery without the use of nails, screws or glue.

What I claim is:

1. A memberv having a projection extending therefrom, material stretched and lying in opposition to said projection'and surrounding and embracing said member and having an end forcibly frictionally held between said projection and flexible stretched material, connected to said member.

2. A member having an elongated'projection extending therefrom, material stretched and lying in opposition to said projection and surrounding and closely embracing said member and having a terminal portion frictionally held between `connected to ysaid member, said projecticnproyividing a shoulder at its inner side, and saidzmaterial'having a terminal bead which liesf'at the inner side of said shoulder.

- 3. vIn combination with a'pair of 4spaced members, a iiexible base material connected in taut bridging relationto said members, each of said members having `anelongated marginal extension at its inner side and opposed .to the base material,

ycushion material on said basematerial and finishing material covering said cushioning ymaterial and having opposite ends embracing the said Vmembers and each vforced between said v.base

,material and a corresponding extension,

to octhe inner side of said extension, each end of said finishing material being thickened. y g 4. .A chair comprising an arched structure providing spaced members,y a flexible webbing bridging and suitably connected in'taut bridging relation with said members, cushioning material on said webbing, each of said members having a marginal longitudinal projection opposed to ythe webbing, and a singlepiece of material covering said cushioning material and surrounding said members and having its margins forced between thewebbing and corresponding projections and with said margin portions disposed at the inner side of the corresponding projection.

5. A seat back providing two spaced members, each having at its inner margin a longitudinally extending projection providing a forwardly facing shoulder, a cloth stretched across said projections and secured to said members at points outwardly from the projections, padding material arranged upon the cloth, and finishing material covering the padding and stretched tautly thereagainst to press said padding against the cloth and closely embracing said members and having opposite terminal portions respectively forced to positions between the corresponding projections and said cloth against said shoulders, and so forced against the action of the stretched cloth and held by friction.

6. In combination with a pair of spaced members, a base material connected in taut bridging relation to said members and having a resilient and compressible cushioning material thereon,

each of said members having an extension opposed to the base material, a finishing material arranged against the cushioning material and having opposite end portions embracing said members and forced between the base material and corresponding extensions, said nishing material being drawn tautly over said cushioning material to hold it compressibly confined.

7. In combination with a support, a flexible base material secured thereto, a padding overlying the base material, a finishing material overlying the padding and secured to the support and having'an end brought around an edge of the padding and disposed between the padding and the base material, said finishing material having a second material secured thereto which also cooperates with the base material and with the padding material to frictionally secure the end of the finishing material.

8. .A chair comprising a'seat, an arched back structure for said seat having generally the form of an inverted U, a webbing in taut bridging relation with said arched structure, and cushioning material on said webbing, said arched structure having a marginal projection opposed to the webbing and a single piece of material covering said cushioning material and having portions wrapped around portions of the arched member and having its marginal portions forced and held by friction between the webbing and said projection.

9. A chair comprising a seat, an arched back for said seat having generally the formof an inverted U, a webbing in taut bridging relation with said arched structure and having a portion connected to the seat, cushioning material on said webbing, said arch having a projection opposed to the webbing and a single piece of material covering said cushioning material and having portions wrapped around portions of the arched member and having its marginal portion forced and held by friction between the webbing and said projection, the bottom part of said covering material being tucked between said cushioning material and webbing and frictionally held therebetween.

l0. A chair comprising a seat and a back for the seat comprising a frame, a webbing in taut bridging rel-ation with said frame on three sides, and having a fourth side connected to the chair seat, cushioning material on said webbing, said frame having projections opposed to the webbing, and a single piece of material covering said cushioning material and having portions wrapped around portions of the frame and having marginal portions forced between the webbing and said projections, the fourth side of said covering material having attached thereto a friction material and the bottom portion of said covering material and said friction material being tucked and frictionally held between said cushioning material and said webbing.

11. A seat having aback composed of an arched frame providing two legs, a back cloth bridging and secured to the legs, cushioning material on the back cloth, nishing material laid upon the cushioning material and having portions brought outwardly and around and then rearwardly and to the inner sides of said legs and tucked between said legs and said back cloth,

said legs having projections engaged by said finishing material, as so tucked.

12. A seat having a back composed of an arched frame providing two legs, a back cloth bridging and secured to the legs, cushioning material on the back cloth, finishing material laid upon the cushioning material and having portions brought outwardly and around and then rearwardly and to the inner sides of said legs and tucked between said legs and said back cloth, said legs each having a continuous projection extending lengthwise thereof and engaged by said finishing material, .as so tucked.

BENJAMIN F. MONROE. 

